by Unknown
They did find decomposed bodies in many of the homes and assumed they were elderly people who died for various reasons. As they expanded their search grid they did find bodies of people that were killed by gun fire, this was evident by the bullet holes in their head or clothes, most of the bodies were decomposed meaning it had happened some time ago.
Soulard wasn’t far from downtown St. Louis rumors that the ISA had made it this far were fairly rampant and widely reported by the intelligence US forces had collected from AA Soldiers they had captured. As the A-Team explored Soulard they found no evidence at all that the ISA was any place around. This was only one small suburb there was a lot more to go and intelligence stated that the AA Garrison was in downtown near or in City Garden area,
Soulard was a little over two miles from City Park another reason why they picked the suburb they would be able to make the hump easily enough they didn’t know what to expect between the two places. The closer they got the more they expected security to be an issue they would have thought they might have it at least a mile out there was nothing. They continued towards City Garden looking for signs of the ISA there was nothing to indicate they were around. They got within a half mile of the park and still no sign of them. They needed to get to high ground where they could look down into the area and not be seen.
It was still dark when they entered one of the taller buildings in the area they cleared all of the floors, all six of them then entered an apartment where they could see the area clearly with no obstructions. The CO, Captain Delbert Alexander ordered the team to get some rest, he said he and the XO, Chief Warrant Officer 4 David Morris would take first watch. They wouldn’t be able to see anything until daylight which was a couple of hours away. The team all sacked out in the front room after rummaging around the apartment looking for something to eat, MRE’s were great but they needed to save what they had. They were able to find several cans of ravioli, spaghetti-o’s and chili they were in heaven.
The CO and XO talked about how strange it was that they had found no sign of the ISA so far and that it was possible that it was all rumors which were false. Information created by the Sultan and his men to create a sense of accomplishment and greatness that they could tell the masses, essentially propaganda. The rest of the team was sound asleep by now it had been a long day so far and who knows the next time they would get any rest.
As the sun rose the Team Sergeant, Master Sergeant Ramirez Tolbert and SFC Michael Malarkey the Engineer Sergeant were looking at the windows, there was nothing to see, there was no Garrison, at least not here there wasn’t. The rest of the team woke up and made some coffee it was time to re-think the mission, where to next or do they head to the airport and head back to Grayling. There orders were specific; locate the Garrison in or around City Garden and gather intelligence on it.
Captain Alexander listened to all of the pro’s and con’s from all of the team members the final decision was his, he decided that they would return to Camp Grayling. It was 14.5 miles from City Garden to the St. Louis International Airport it would be a nice hump to it especially since they didn’t know what lay between them and the airport. If they could find a couple of vehicles with fuel they would be able to cover the distance within an hour or so and then hopefully be in the air and headed back all within two hours.
For now that was the plan Captain Alexander decided, move out on foot, head towards the airport and if they found a couple of vehicles that could transport all of them they would do that if not then continue on. Once at the airport move to the civilian side of the airport, find an aircraft they could use and get the hell out-of-town.
It was a go the team geared up and headed out the CO reminded them all to stay sharp although the Garrison wasn’t here in City Gardens it didn’t mean that it wasn’t in a different location. Once out of the building they kept close to the buildings moving at a slow jog. At the end of each block they took a knee and looked up and down the streets looking for any sign of people. They kept moving block after block, look and listen then moved down the next block. After five miles they found two older trucks at a construction site two GMC Sierra’s. Only one of the trucks would start though and neither had much fuel, there were plenty of cars on the street it was time to siphon fuel from those cars. They also searched for a pair of jumper cables they had one truck running they could possibly get the other one started they had to find jumper cables first.
On the tenth car they had broken into and searched they found a pair of jumper cables. With both trucks topped off they connected the cables and gave it a try. The second truck cranked slowly, they were careful not to flood it. They stopped and tried again a couple of minutes later and on the second try the engine roared to life. They quickly disconnected the cables, threw them in the back of the truck and everyone loaded up.
They had less than ten miles to go to the airport they were moving as fast as they could through the streets which were still littered with vehicles, granted not a lot of them but enough. They were now on the I-70 heading west they were about two miles from the airport when the numbers of vehicles in the road became thicker and thicker, they were stacked it wasn’t normal. Then one mile from the airport the entire road way on either side was entirely blocked off this was done intentionally. The Captain ordered everyone out of the trucks it was evident to all of them there was something going on. They all assumed it was the ISA the Garrison was located around here some place. Unfortunately it was fairly flat with not much high ground around, but there was a Marriot near. They headed there it was a half mile away if that, they moved there in a slow jog.
As they approached the hotel they saw a lot of movement in and out of it. Captain Alexander and the rest assumed this was where the ISA was holed up. They moved back to take cover behind the cars, they needed to get further away to make sure they weren’t going to be discovered. They slowly pulled back moving so as not to attract anyone’s attention from the hotel not that they were looking in this direction. As they moved back they noticed small aircraft leaving the airport which they thought odd because the last they heard was that the ISA had no aircraft. SFC Lambert the Medical Sergeant asked the Captain, “Sir, why do you think there’s a Republic of Texas flag flying in front of the Hotel?”
The XO responded, “There’s one flying at the entrance of the airport too.”
“Obviously something’s not right.” said the Captain. “Damn so close but not close enough.”
“I don’t think its ISA Sir.” said the Chief. “I’m not sure what it is but the ISA it’s not.”
The team kept falling back looking to their rear and flanks. They made it back to the trucks, “We need to get to cover and figure out what the hell is going on.” said the Captain.
They all loaded back into the trucks and headed to the nearest hotel which happened to be a Quality Inn. They found a place to hide the trucks about a half mile away and headed out on foot towards the hotel. They stopped about 500 yards still back in the trees looking for any movement. They noticed the flag that was flying was the US flag and the state of Missouri that seemed to be a good sign. They didn’t see anyone around and moved fast running through the parking lot and into the lobby. The lobby was empty and didn’t look as though anyone had been there since the event. There were still cars that were parked out front, odds are they were abandoned by their owners when they found out they wouldn’t start.
They could see there was still water in the pool but they could see some animal tracks which meant that the locals were probably drinking from it. The XO sent the team to clear the rest of the floor and second floor to make sure there were no visitors they were unaware of. He also had them set up security in the lobby and to see if they could get access to the roof they wanted to be able to see anyone coming. He and the CO would see what they could find in the kitchen.
After an hour and a half the team returned to the lobby SFC Lambert told the Chief that there was access to the roof but it wasn’t going to be a good place to
set up an OP because of how the roof was designed. His suggestion was to take a couple of rooms on the second floor on facing the front and one facing the back and rotate two man teams in and out to watch what was going on outside. Sergeant Tolbert liked the idea and also wanted a two man team in the lobby and every two hours a roving detail to check around the building.
The CO accepted whatever the Sergeant Tolbert wanted but he also wanted to discuss as a team what they all saw today. Sergeant Tolbert was the first to speak up, “Did you notice anything about the people coming and going out of the hotel?”
“Outside of the flags and the aircraft taking off I didn’t.” said the Chief.
“What have you got Sergeant?” the CO asked.
“First the people coming and going were men and women. Second not one of the men had a beard, mustaches in some cases but no beards.” said Sergeant Tolbert.
“What’s your point?” said SFC Gills the Light Weapons Sergeant.
The Chief answered for Sergeant Tolbert, “If it was the ISA there would be no women around and the men are required to have beards.”
“Did you notice all of the cowboy hats?” asked the CO.
“I’m not surprised with the Texas flags flying.” said Sergeant Tolbert.
“Anything else?” asked the CO.
“They had vehicles that worked.” said SFC Carlito the Communications Sergeant.
“If they have vehicles and planes they have a fuel source outside of syphoning cars.” said the Chief.
“What can we take away from all of this?” asked the CO.
“Texas invaded Missouri!” Sergeant Tolbert responded while smiling.
“What if they did?” asked the Chief.
“I was kidding Chief.” said Sergeant Tolbert.
“I’m not.” said the Chief. “Texas for years before the event had been stating they wanted to succeed. What if they did and took or claimed a bunch of other states along with it?”
“Let’s go with that train of thought.” said the Captain. “Are they a threat? Would they be willing to come back into the Union without a fight?”
The team looked at each other for a moment then some lost in thought. “There’s no way to know Sir without going down there to ask them.” said Sergeant Tolbert.
“Ok why don’t we do that? We all feel they aren’t the ISA so we have no idea what the threat really is.” said the CO.
“You’re kidding right Sir?” said SFC Sundry the Heavy Weapons Sergeant.
“No, it’s a good idea actually.” said the Chief. “We send two or three guys down to find out. Just walk right in and see what they got to say.”
“Sometimes simple is better.” said the CO. “Me and Sergeant Tolbert will go first thing in the morning.”
“Only two Sir?” asked Sergeant Carlito.
“Yeah,” said Sergeant Tolbert. “The Chief is going to need the rest of you to pull our asses out if things go to hell.”
They spent the next hour discussing the plan once they were done they ate and went about their assigned responsibilities. Captain Alexander and Sergeant Tolbert talked a more about what they were going to do. Essentially they were going to stay in uniform, stay heavily armed, have the Chief give them a ride to where the car barricade was then walk in from there. They wouldn’t hide, they would walk down the middle of the road with weapons hanging off them, try to be as non-threatening as possible and in the open.
Walk directly to the hotel and hopefully into the lobby and ask who was in-charge and where could they find them. The rest of the team would be in position prior to their arrival and in an over-watch position. If things went to shit as they often did they knew it was up to them to somehow rescue the two men.
The night passed uneventfully the men thought about what tomorrow would bring. They were far from home with no way out at least right now, there ass was hanging in the wind and they all knew it. The morning came and each man was up and ready to go.
They all loaded up into the trucks before dawn they needed to find places where they could watch what was going on at the hotel without being seen themselves. They had a couple of ideas the hotel wasn’t far from a tree line because it was across the freeway from the airport. There was a knoll about a quarter mile away and with the M-107 and its optics the sniper and his spotter could see the front of the hotel with little problem. The rest of the team needed to be closer in the even they had to react physically, they all had radio’s and could speak to each other over a distance of two miles. They found a couple of hides within the tree line.
Now that everyone was set the Chief drove the CO and Sergeant Tolbert back to the barricade and dropped them off. As they got out the Chief looked at them, “See ya when I see ya!”
“Yeah Chief we’ll catch you on the backside.” said Sergeant Tolbert.
The Captain and Sergeant took off down the road walking together right down the middle. The Chief left the area hiding the truck near one of the hides so they could move quickly if needed. The other truck was near the sniper team so they could get the hell out of the AO as quickly as possible if they were found or needed to get back to the team to help.
The Captain and Sergeant had put on their Green Beret headgear as they left the truck they wanted to make sure they were seen. They walked toward the hotel, there were people out front that saw them walking towards them. A couple of men quickly ran into the hotel, as they got closer and closer they didn’t see anyone with a weapon. A dozen or so people were staring as they stepped up onto the sidewalk in front of the lobby. Captain Alexander nodded and Sergeant Tolbert asked them now they were doing.
They walked into the lobby which had a half dozen more men and women in there. They strolled by them and walked up to the front desk there were two clerks working there. The first clerk asked, “How may I help you?”
This wasn’t what they were expecting at all, “Is there someone in charge here I can talk too?” asked Captain Alexander.
“The day manager just got here you can speak to him if you like.” said the clerk.
Well it’s a start thought Captain Alexander, “That would be fine.”
The clerk left and came back with a man who looked to be in his early fifties, “How can I help you?” asked the manager.
“Is here some place we can talk privately?” asked Sergeant Tolbert.
“Certainly,” said the Manager. “We can go into the breakfast lounge if you like. You can grab a bite to eat and we can talk.”
Captain Alexander and Sergeant Tolbert looked at each other, “That would be fine.” said Captain Tolbert.
The two men followed the manager into the breakfast lounge there were a dozen or so people eating there. There was cereal with milk, fresh fruit, eggs and waffles, bacon and sausages there was also what looked like fresh apple and orange juice. “Where the hell are we?” Sergeant Tolbert said to the Captain.
“Please help yourselves.” said the manager. “I’m Sam.” he added.
“Thanks Sam I’ll just have some coffee for now if that’s ok” said Captain Alexander. Sergeant Tolbert on the other hand was taking advantage of everything he could he filled his plate with everything he could.
They all took a seat in the corner. Captain Alexander took a sip of his coffee, it was good he thought. “What the hell is going on here?” asked the Captain.
“I’m sorry I don’t understand?” said Sam.
Captain Alexander looked over at Sergeant Tolbert who was busy stuffing his face. The Captain thought of a different approach. “Do you know what the ISA is?”
“Hell yeah!” Sam said. “Those Islamic bastards we chased them out of here or killed them months ago. Why?”
“We’re here hunting them we had heard they set up a Garrison here. We were sent into to find out if it was true or not.” said the Captain.
“Who’s we?” asked Sam.
“We are the United States of American and my friend and I here are part of the US Army.”
“I’ll be damne
d! Really?” asked Sam.
“Yes Sam really I wouldn’t bullshit you.”
“Wow that’s great, we thought the government was gone forever.”
“It’s not what it once was and right now the US military is taking the lead and trying to get the Country back in line.” Captain Alexander responded.
“Well they should get rid of that Islamic scum first.” said Sam.
“Well like I said that’s why we’re here if there was a Garrison we would have returned to base with the information and they would have taken care of it.”
“How would they do that?”
“Never mind that Sam can you tell us what’s going on here? You seem to have it pretty good and air travel too.” asked Sergeant Tolbert.
“Yeah this hotel does but it’s only the hotel and it’s because we are near the airport. There are only a few small aircraft that fly and they fly between here and Dallas only.”
“Why Dallas?”
“Texas,” said Sam. “Has declared itself its own Country.”
“Chief had it right Sir.” said Sergeant Tolbert.
“Yeah he did.” said the Captain.
“Who’s the Chief and had what right?” asked Sam.
“The Chief is Chief Warrant Officer my Executive Officer and we saw the hotel yesterday and the airport flying the flag of Texas. The Chief and a couple of others thought that Texas had finally declared its independence and claimed additional states around it.” said the Captain.
“No, they haven’t, not yet anyway. They haven’t secured the entire state so they would need to do that first. The US military posts haven’t given in to them yet as far as I know they are still loyal to the US.” said Sam.
“Then why the flags?” asked Sergeant Tolbert.